2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 Wagon

Christian's Magnum was already a stout performer in SRT8 trim when he found it at a Tennessee dealer back in 2006. But, as soon as he got it home, he began upgrading it, inside and out.

A Mopar enthusiast who'd previously had a supercharged Dakota Quad Cab, Christian added a supercharger to the SRT8's Hemi. Also, 22-inch wheels went on each corner, and the color scheme changed from stock Brilliant Black to a silver-over-black scheme, then to a lime-green-over-black (with a purple pinstripe between the two colors).

That version of the Magnum was a show-winner, but the 6.1 Hemi couldn't handle the boost it was fed—leading to a massive bottom-end failure.

Undaunted, Christian decided on another supercharged modern Hemi, this time one with a famous displacement and a compression ratio that could handle high boost and not grenade.

He turned to Karl Krohn at Absolute Performance, who built the modern Hemi. "It's an all-forged low-compression 426 with a custom supercharger kit, running 12 pounds of boost," says Christian. What's its output? "The best we've got out of it so far is 825 horsepower at the crankshaft," he says.

Outside, it was time for a change as well. "I'd gained a lot of attention from the local police, and I was pulled over almost every time I drove it, whether it was to admire the car or just hassle me. It became very annoying," Christian recalls.

It was time for some more special attention to the Magnum wagon body, this time from Pete Orme at Thundertstruck Custom Rod & Cycle in Salt Lake City. "I'd met him at a show through an amazing car he'd painted, and I mentioned the problem I was having with the police," Christian says. That chat led to a more subtle custom color scheme, the one that's now on the Magnum. Christian continues, "After mixing a couple colors, we decided to go with RM's Glacier Gold Pearl White."

3/5Karl Krohn’s skills resulted in this supercharged 426-inch modern Hemi. NOVI blower puts out up to 12 pounds of boost.

What's it like to drive? With a smile, Christian says, "Buckle your seat belt and hold on to something!" He adds that it can blow the tires through third gear, all the while delivering better fuel mileage than the stock 6.1L Hemi did.

Christian's Magnum is again a trophy winner on the show scene, and he'd like to thank his grandparents and parents, as well as Karl Krohn, Pete Orme, and all his friends, for all they did to turn this wagon into a high-power hauler!